


Take Me Home

by pornosophical



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2013-10-24
Packaged: 2017-12-30 07:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1015753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pornosophical/pseuds/pornosophical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico just wants to disappear, but Percy refuses to let him go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Me Home

**Author's Note:**

> Unedited, ambiguous and ill-formatted. Enjoy. [Update 9/21] I overcame my aversion to looking at my own fanfic to fix up the formatting on this fic I hope it's a bit easier to read, sorry I left it like it was for so long.

The first time Percy Jackson found him was Nico’s own fault. He’d thought that hiding out in Camp Jupiter would work just fine, allowing him time to spend with his half-sister and easily avoid one Percy Jackson.

He should have known better. After Gaea’s defeat there hadn’t been much to do but mop up the monsters from her leftover army, and Nico had figured he could skate without much notice. His first sign that his easy departure wasn’t in the cards should have been when Jason had reluctantly approached him and confessed that he’d spilled the beans about Nico’s… disposition, while traveling with the other Seven.

Nico had not been pleased, but he couldn’t quite blame Jason. Not when Jason had been such an ardent supporter and so terribly apologetic. Instead he blamed himself, for not being stronger, for being different, for being a freak.

He forgave Jason, and then shadow-traveled away. Eventually he found himself in Camp Jupiter, with the only other person who was supposed to know his secret: Reyna. They’d gotten closer on their journey with the Athena Parthenos, and had eventually bonded over the futility of crushing on Percy Jackson.

Reyna had given him hope that his feelings would one day fade, but right now they were still acutely painful. Percy had just saved the day for the entire world, and it was hard not to look at him, battle-worn and so, so very handsome that he could make Nico fall apart with just a glance.

It was infuriating.

So he left, and when Reyna offered him private quarters in New Rome he took them up eagerly. Despite his role in Gaea’s defeat and the new peace between the camps, no one was too eager to have the son of Hades/Pluto training in their midst, and shunting him off to an apartment in New Rome was the easiest thing to do for all considered.

  
Well, he supposed that wasn’t entirely fair to Reyna, who was just looking out for him and knew he wanted space. And for a few days New Rome provided him with that space, until one day as he was enjoying a coffee at one of the little cafes scattered around the town that Percy Jackson appeared around the corner.

Nico had a moment to reflect that Percy still looked exhausted, but even wan and tired he still made Nico’s heart beat faster. Percy looked around him with narrowed eyes until he saw Nico.

“Nico!” he called out, waving at him. Nico put his coffee down and dug a tip out from his wallet, fading into the shadows just before Percy realized. “Wait—NICO!”  
Then he was gone.

 

* * *

 

The next few weeks Nico spent in the underworld, at his father’s palace. It was lonely, but there was a lot of work to do in the realms of death. He kept himself busy and pleased his father, and that felt good.

Until Percy Jackson showed up. He didn’t know how Percy had found him in the middle of the Fields of Asphodel, where there was nothing but mindless souls milling about for all eternity. He’d been taking a break from cleaning up the entrance to Tartarus (a place that still brought back memories he didn’t dare face) and just wanted some peace and quiet.

“There you are!” Nico flinched and jerked around. Riding up to him on a skeletal looking horse and looking pleased with himself was none other than Percy Jackson.

“What are you doing here?” asked Nico despite himself. Percy grinned at him as he pulled up alongside Nico.

“Looking for you,” he said. “And it wasn’t easy convincing your dad to let me down here, much less let me back up, let me tell you.”

Nico scowled. Of course Percy could talk even Hades into letting him into his realm. These days if Percy had so much credit built up with the Olympians they were decidedly un-godlike in their actions toward him. Case in point: letting him frolic around the underworld like it was an everyday thing.

“Well you found me,” said Nico, standing up to go, “however, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Wait, Nico,” said Percy as he swung himself off his mount. “I need to talk to you.”

For a second, Nico hesitated, and then shook his head. Even if Percy wanted to talk, he just couldn’t. His heart already felt like it was tearing his chest in two, but to hear what Percy had to say? It felt like it might kill him.

“I’m sorry,” whispered Nico, and he faded into shadow.

 

* * *

 

The third time Percy caught up with him, Nico hadn’t been expecting it. It had been some time since his last Percy sighting, and he’d just turned fifteen and resolved to celebrate. He’d been living out of his father’s office in Los Angeles, and decided he wanted to party. He’d never done so before, and wanted to know what it was like.

Also, he was sick and tired of being by himself and moping over a straight boy. So he went and found the gayest club he could find that let in under-21-year-olds. The result was a place named LionHeat with some German sounding DJ playing that night.

Nico didn’t bother taking the line into the club, they were checking IDs and Nico didn’t even have a driver’s license to fake. So he shadow-stepped inside and found himself in a crush of boys, almost all of who seemed to be slim, somewhat muscular blond and covered in glitter.

He came to regret his decision almost instantly. The music, upbeat, electronic and poppy, wasn’t his style, and the looks he was getting from some of the older boys around him made him want to put on a million jackets and/or hide in the corner.

“Hey,” said a voice behind him. Nico whirled around and stared wide-eyed at the boy—no—man who stood before him. The guy was almost a foot taller than Nico, with broad shoulders, and biceps, which his tank top displayed quite nicely. He leaned in a bit towards Nico and his cologne smelled fresh and clean.

“You look lost,” he said and Nico gulped. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” said Nico and the guy smiled at him. Nico felt terrified and alive and aroused all at once.

“You want a drink to take the edge off?” The guy tapped his hip and Nico could see a slim flask squeezed between his tight jeans and waist. Nico licked his lips and the guy leaned forward, sliding the flask out in a way that made Nico want to leave and stay at the same time.

“Here you go,” he said and held the flask out to Nico. It was still warm from its hiding spot. “Have a sip.”

Nico surreptitiously unscrewed the cap and was about to drink when a hand grabbed his wrist so tightly he nearly cried out. His battle instincts lit up and were then restrained a second later by the knowledge that security had probably just caught up him and he couldn’t fight mortals and he was underage and drinking—

“Hey,” said the guy who had given Nico his flask. “What gives?”

Nico looked up and didn’t believe his eyes.

“You should back off. Now,” said Percy Jackson with the kind of steel in his voice that even Titans had learned to tremble at. Percy Jackson who was wearing a tight fitting black t-shirt and pants that hugged everything and standing in a gay club like it was something he did everyday.

The guy grabbed his flask and almost ran into the crowd in his haste to get away.

“What was that for?” snapped Nico, trying to shake Percy’s iron-tight grasp. “What are you even doing here?”

“You get three guesses, and the first two don’t count,” Percy said cheerfully, but his eyes were hard and something in Nico folded like a house of cards as Percy’s hand, hot on his wrist, didn’t let go. “And this time, you’re not getting away.”

“I’ll scream,” said Nico, thinking desperately. “They’ll think you’re attacking me.”

Percy scowled at him. “Why do you make this so hard, Nico? I just want to talk.”

“Well, I don’t,” Nico almost shouted. “I don’t ever want to see you again!”

“Nico…” said Percy calmly, despite the fact that they were beginning to attract attention. “You know that’s not true.”

“It is!” declared Nico. “It is and I hate you and stop touching me!”

Percy dropped Nico's wrist like it was hot coals and Nico could feel a sob building in his chest. “Excuse me.” A very large man had appeared over them and was now looking at Nico. “Is this guy giving you trouble?”

Nico opened his mouth to say yes, but Percy looked ready to pummel the bouncer if he stepped in and Nico just couldn’t get Percy in trouble. “No—he’s—I know him.”

“Well, in that case,” said the bouncer, “can I see your ID?”

Nico had been through a lot of feelings when it came to Percy Jackson. Rage, love, betrayal, hero-worship… But somehow he’d never quite managed the sort of soul-searing embarrassment that he was going through now.

Percy bailing him out of trouble with the bouncer was bad enough with Percy acting like a protective older brother and promising that Nico would behave himself in the future, but then the bouncer and Percy had begun talking as they walked out and Percy was being complimented on how responsible he was and how he’d be welcome back anytime at LionHeat. Percy who wasn’t even 18 but looked so good no-one would keep him out of anywhere. But no, the worst bit was definitely after they had gotten outside and Percy had marched him down the block past a guy grilling sausages to look at him with such disappointment and sadness in his eyes.

“Nico,” said Percy softly, and in his tone were words of caring that Nico couldn’t bear.

“Why—WHY do you keep doing this to me,” Nico half-sobbed and then found himself enveloped in a hug that smelled like the deep blue sea.

“Dude, Nico,” he felt more than heard Percy’s voice against the hair atop his head. “You need to stop running, all right? Because it’s going to be okay. I promise you.”

And Nico remembered another promise Percy made from years ago and suddenly felt so very tired that he began to cry. How long Percy held him on that street corner weeping like a baby into his soft, warm shirt, he couldn’t tell. But when he became exhausted, and the tears drew back like the tides, Percy hugged him a little tighter and whispered, “Let’s go home, Nico.”

And Nico stopped running, and Percy took him home.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this slip me a comment, I'm not big into fanfic these days because I'm trying to finish my own original fiction, but after finishing House of Hades a couple days ago I got so inspired to write about Nico (and Percy) I couldn't help myself. So if you enjoyed this, let me know please!


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